ABC wants to kill DVR ad-skipping

Posted Jul 6th 2006 4:56PM by Chris Thilk
Filed under: Gripes, Television

(Warning: You may want to go to your happy place before reading this.)

ABC executives have held discussions with the people providing consumers with DVRs about a potential future feature for the devices that would disable the ad-skipping. That's just one of the comments made by ABC President of Advertising Sales Mike Shaw following the networks' finally closing out their upfront session. Shaw feels that everyone on the ad-delivery side of the equation, from networks to cable operators, should be on the side of no-DVR-skippage since they all rely on selling ads. He doesn't think this is going to be a big deal for consumers, since they'll still be so happy the can easily record their shows for later that they'll barely notice and definitely won't be part of any backlash. This despite frequent assertions that most people considering DVRs are doing so for the ad-skipping feature. Shaw says he felt ABC was hung out to dry by other networks who folded so quickly to buyer demands that prices not include DVR viewings.

Terry Heaton also called "BS" on this whole argument by Shaw. Heaton points out that the networks effectively shot themselves in the foot, shins, kneecaps and hip bones on this issue by turning more and more time over to ads, leading to the consumer backlash that prompted DVRs to catch on in the first place. He even has a graph from eMarketer that shows commercial skipping is the second most important thing people are looking for from a DVR.

I'm going to be blunt here and say Shaw has his head in a very uncomfortable place. Killing DVR ad-skipping is a bad idea. If the other networks left you dangling on real-time ad numbers in the upfronts maybe it's not because you're the smartest guy in the room. Consumers are exercising more and more control over what they spend their money on and ad buyers are consumers in their own right. Shaw needs to stop bashing the devices that people enjoy using and spend more time re-figuring his networks business model.

Reader Comments

(Page 1)

1. "...Shaw has his head in a very uncomfortable place."

What, like the back of a Volkswagen?

Posted at 5:46PM on Jul 6th 2006 by Sean

2. I love having a DVR. Being a full time student, working full time and still wanting to enjoy watching some TV, I enjoy being able to skip through the commercials. If I see an ad that really strikes me, I will pause the DVR and watch it. Heck, I cut 22 minutes off an hour TV show by fast forwarding through the ad's. It's my time and if I have spent the money for a DVR I should be able to watch TV how I want to watch it.

Posted at 9:20PM on Jul 6th 2006 by Melissa

3. In the end, the consumer wins. If the cable companies ever thought this was a good idea, consumers would go directly to the box makers for their DVRs and bypass the cable companies.

Consumers don't really mind ads. If there was one or two ads, I might not reach for the remote. If they are entertaining or informative, I'll even play it back. Did anybody ask if the 2:00+ min ad POD was the best way to go or was that just the most the networks thought we could take before we picked up a book? As an advertiser, I would pay more for less clutter and ultimately more effectiveness.

Posted at 3:14AM on Jul 7th 2006 by Allen

4. Why can't ABC force their shows to incorporate advertising into their show? Seems to me to be more streamlined and probably more effective. If you get some popular TV charachter to wear and talk about it during the show, I would think more people would buy it versus traditional ads. Isn't this HBO's business model? I'm not sure they can afford the cast of the Sopranos only with subscription money.

Posted at 12:09PM on Jul 7th 2006 by Jonathan

5. Mike Shaw is in exactly the same position as the music industry: his world is falling apart around him, and he's not smart enough to adapt. So, he'd rather try to force the world to go back to what makes him comfortable.

He should quietly back out and let someone else take over at ABC advertising, someone who can grasp the new world we live in.

Posted at 1:56PM on Jul 7th 2006 by Elmo

6. I didn't watch television for nearly 10 years until the DVR brought me back. If I can't skip ads, I'll stop watching again. Let them take it away. I can live without TV, 99% of it is garbage anyway.

Posted at 5:36PM on Jul 7th 2006 by MikeD

7. I have a Dishnetwork DVR and have my local channels as part of my package. Being able to skip through the commercials is my family's favorite feature almost to the point where if we have paused a show for an extended period of time that when we finally catch up "live" to the program we are very ANNOYED to have to watch the commercials and not be able to skip through them.
I know I am not the only person who would h ave their day, week, month , year ruined if the SKIP ahead feature was removed!!!!

Posted at 5:43PM on Jul 7th 2006 by Josh

8. Skipping commercials is of course one of the main reasons for the DVR. This guy reminds me of that South Park episode where smugness was spreading everywhere. I'd prefer they follow the european method and make them entertaining and in a group at the end of the program.

Posted at 5:45PM on Jul 7th 2006 by Wallace

9. Uhm.. This might make me sound old, but anyone remember when the reason you paid for cable is that it didn't have ads? If they want to run all those ads, why are they charging me for cable? They should want me to have it for free so they can make me watch them. What a giant pantload.

Posted at 5:49PM on Jul 7th 2006 by Big Mark

10. I'm with big mark on this. Why are we paying to be slammed with commercials? Yes, a couple would be fine but it's gotten to the point where it's not worth watching the show because of all the ads.

And for Jonathan. Do you *really* want to see ads incorporated into shows? How long do you think it would take the networks to only produce huge hour long infomercials for one product? Bad idea in my view.

Posted at 6:06PM on Jul 7th 2006 by johniwan

11. I think that ad-skipping is a great feature. When I buy my DVR, that will be one of the reasons why.

Seems to me that when I purchase cable or satellite, all of those "commercial" stations have to be paid for. Why then must I watch their commercials? To get all the channels I'd like to have, my cable/satellite bill would be well over $100 per month! As it is, I don't have time to watch all the shows I'd like to watch and DVD movie nights keep getting pushed back for days. I don't have time to watch all the commercials that the networks would like me to watch. Besides, many of them are for products that I don't need or want, why waste my time? And why must I watch the same commercial run back to back three times in a row???

I know many people that will turn the sound off during commercials, perhaps ABC could lock that feature out as well?

Posted at 7:37PM on Jul 7th 2006 by Jim Pook

12. Does anyone remember the first episode of season two of 24, presented commercial free by Ford? Every bloody shot had a Ford in it.

Posted at 8:27PM on Jul 7th 2006 by Dr. Boggis

13. Sheesh, it looks like the networks are still shooting themselves in the foot. The commercials are eating up more and more time, the audio is cranked up on commercials so much that everyone instinctively hits the mute button, and if I hear "HeadOn - Apply directly to the forehead! HeadOn - Apply directly to the forehead! HeadOn - Apply directly to the forehead!" any more I'm gonna puke.

I don't care what they do to the DVRs. I'll hack mine just like I did with my DVD player (disabling those User Prohibited Functions lets you easily skip the previews). I made lots of money selling hacked DVD players. I'll make lots more with hacked DVRs. After millions are spent on crippling the DVRs, a hack will be out within 48 hours, so that's not a problem.

So, Mr.Shaw, I wish you the best of luck. I just hope I'm able to take advantage of your ineptitude before your strategy finishes killing the networks.

Posted at 8:27PM on Jul 7th 2006 by Charles Richards

14. I for one welcome our advertising overlords with welcome arms. I've come to love the gentle brain washing that results from those pesky little commercials. Oh, my bad. I just remembered that I stopped watching TV before DVR's came on the market and never got around to hooking it back up again. Stupid me!

Posted at 8:31PM on Jul 7th 2006 by Jeffery Faulk

15. One problem I have with the networks is the sheer amount of commercial time during a show. It used to be about 2 minutes per break. Now it seems like they go on for ever, then they tease you with the show for a few seconds and go back for another long round of commercials!

If you want me to watch commercials, then 1- make them entertaining, (european style commercials?). 2- make them take less time out of the show. 3- make the breaks shorter so I can remember what show I'm watching when it comes back.

When the Sopranos played on CTV in Canada, there were so many commercials that it was hard to follow the show. Now I have the DVD's so I can catch up on them.

Posted at 7:37AM on Jul 8th 2006 by Jim Pook

16. I totally agree with Jim and a number of the other folks on here. If the advertisements were humorous or otherwise entertaining, I wouldn't mind watching them or even rewinding to watch them again. Think about the Super Bowl, there is an entire population who watches the Super Bowl for just the commercials. The next day, regardless whether you watched for the game or the commercials, the talk around the water cooler is about the commercials.
I personally have to take my hat off to the beer commercials during football games; even with my DVR I play their commercials. See ABC, you can get people to watch commercials...the advertising group just needs to make them entertaining. By the way, the old adage of less is more applies with commercials. Short, sweet, and to the point is the way to go. When I’m at someone else’s house who doesn’t have a DVR (don’t worry, I pray for them :) ) I sometimes get lost in the commercial and ask, “what company was that advertisement for?” with a typical response of, “I don’t have a clue.”
-Matt

Posted at 1:47AM on Sep 2nd 2006 by Matt E

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